Not really. It's in there because ... it works. One of the main things that our brain does is predicting behavior based on visible stimuli, and so we make assumptions about behavior based on lots of things. 140cm high ? Odds of NBA player seem slim. Skin color X -> behavior Y.

Which then leads to countermoves to compensate for behavior before it occurs. Think of it as a way to solve the prisoner's dilemma without getting screwed on the first play, because that's what it is.